PG&E wildfire mishaps spark fury, profanity, protests and a PUC probe

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People protesting against PG&E’s role in fatal wildfires and a gas
explosion hold up a banner during a state Public Utilities Commission
meeting in San Francisco. PG&E’s safety culture — and suspicions that
powerful state regulators have coddled the embattled utility despite its
involvement in a lethal gas explosion and deadly wildfires — unleashed
protests, profanity and rage on Thursday over what some believe is the
company’s unsafe operations.
California Public Utilities Commission

State regulators on Thursday launched a wide-ranging probe into PG&E’s corporate structure and commitment to safety during a meeting disrupted by protests and public rage over what some believe is the utility’s unsafe operations in the wake of catastrophic fatal wildfires in Northern California and a fatal explosion in San Bruno.

Even though the state Public Utilities Commission on Thursday ordered PG&E to adopt 60 recommendations from an independent consultant to improve its safety culture, speakers during the meeting suggested that the PUC has coddled PG&E rather than regulate the embattled utility.

Bay Area residents spoke for well over one hour to the five members of the state Public Utilities Commission and the speakers unleashed volleys of criticism against both PG&E and the PUC, with repeated demands that state officials do not bail out PG&E — a convicted felon due to crimes it committed before and after the San Bruno explosion in 2010.

“The people of California are fed up with the continuing death and destruction caused by PG&E and the other utilities,” said Steve Zeltzer, an official with United Public Workers for Action. “The PUC is a pawn of the utilities. Utility executives should be in jail for what they have done. They continue to kill people. Let’s take the profit out of utilities. These profiteers don’t give a damn about the people they are killing.”

The speakers urged the PUC and state politicians to allow PG&E to tumble into bankruptcy if the company can’t cope with its financial exposure from wildfires in 2017 and 2018.

The PUC’s top boss, commission president Michael Picker, vowed to open a fresh investigation into PG&E with an eye to a possible restructuring of the company or replacing some members of the board of directors.

“PG&E appears to not have a clear vision for its safety programs,” Commissioner Picker said in summarizing part of the PG&E safety culture report. “PG&E pursues many programs without having an idea of how they fit together. This is deeply troubling. It keeps me awake at night.”

During a federal trial linked to the 2010 San Bruno explosion that PG&E caused, prosecutors argued that the utility put profits ahead of safety, a corporate philosophy that eventually led to the blast that killed eight and destroyed a neighborhood.

Questions about PG&E’s commitment to safety have erupted again following a series of fatal infernos that scorched the North Bay Wine Country and nearby regions in October 2017 and this year’s lethal blazes in Butte County that essentially destroyed the town of Paradise.

“No bailout for PG&E,” Matt Jones, a San Bruno resident, demanded of the PUC and state lawmakers. “PG&E needs to be fully accountable.”

Several speakers were critical of the compensation package for PG&E chief executive officer Geisha Williams, who was rewarded with $8.6 million in total direct pay, including $6.5 million in stock awards, for a calendar year of 2017 during which the company was sentenced for six felonies linked to the San Bruno blast and its equipment was involved in multiple Wine Country infernos.

San Francisco-based PG&E has raised the specter of bankruptcy if state officials fail to help the company ward off its financial exposure from the wildfires. However, the speakers didn’t seem alarmed by the prospect of the company’s fiscal failure. Years ago, PG&E hinted it might file for bankruptcy if its San Bruno explosion punishments were too severe. The company didn’t go bankrupt because of San Bruno.

“We do not want to bail out PG&E. We don’t want to take the fall for PG&E. It’s their fault,” said Margaret Lewis, a member of Communities for a Better Environment in Oakland. “They have made irresponsible corporate decisions by putting profits over people. Let them go bankrupt.”

The PUC also came under harsh criticism from several speakers.

“We need to stop protecting PG&E, we need to stop protecting the PUC,” said Jessica Tovar of East Bay Clean Power Alliance. “The P in PUC stands for profits, or maybe the P stands for PG&E. No PG&E bailout. We will not take this … any longer.”

The protests forced the PUC to adjourn its meeting for 10 minutes while demonstrators shouted and held up a banner to punctuate their demands.

After the meeting resumed, the state agency accepted a report that assessed and criticized PG&E’s safety culture.

“We’ve implemented the majority of their recommendations already, and are on track to implement many more within the next year,” PG&E said in a prepared release.

Commissioner Picker had to speak over continued shouts from the audience. Eventually, the demonstrators left the event.

“We’ll be back. We’ll be back. We’ll be back,” the protesters yelled as they departed.